Higher insoluble fiber intake is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer: results from the PLCO cohort

Studies regarding the relationship between fiber intake and prostate cancer (PCa) have conflicting results.

Therefore, this study examined the relationship between fiber intake and the risk of PCa by using data from Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial.

A total of 54,336 participants in the United States, consisting of 6,414 patients with PCa, were included in this study.

Multivariate Cox regression models were applied to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Compared with individuals in the lowest quartile, individuals in the highest quartile of insoluble fiber intake had a significantly lower risk of PCa (aHR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78–0.98).

By contrast, no significant associations were detected between total fiber intake (aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.80–1.01) or soluble fiber intake (aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.80–1.02).

Subgroup analyses showed that insoluble fiber was related to a decreased risk of PCa in subjects with the following characteristics: age > 65 years, nonsmoking or former smokers, education level ≤ high school, non-Hispanic white ethnicity, or without a family history of PCa.

In addition, significant combined effects of insoluble fiber intake, age and family history of PCa on the risk of PCa were observed, but no combined effects of smoking status and insoluble fiber intake were observed.

In addition, total fiber, insoluble fiber, and soluble fiber intake had no influence on the mortality of PCa patients.

These results show that all 3 measures of fiber suggest a protective association, but insoluble fiber may have a stronger association with the risk of PCa.

Future studies are warranted to further investigate these relationships.